To:THE S.E.C. PRESIDIUM

Written:Written on May 20, 1921Published:First published in 1932 inLenin Miscellany XX.

      Printed from a typewritten text with Lenin’s additions and signature.Source:Lenin
	  Collected Works,

      Progress Publishers,1976,

      Moscow,Volume 45,

      pages149b-151a.Translated:Yuri SdobnikovTranscription\Markup:R. CymbalaPublic Domain:Lenin Internet ArchiveYou may freely copy, distribute,
	display and perform this work; as well as make derivative and
	commercial works. Please credit “Marxists Internet
	Archive” as your source.•README

OnFebruary 2, No. 785/yп. I Sent you, through
Gorbunov,[1]ComradeKotlyarov’sletter, containing the
proposal that idle lifts and all their equipment in the bigcities should be used by the mining industry, with the   following resolution:

“Weshould make inquiries and find out whether anything
can be done in this case to help the mining industry. Take
away what can be spared.” The documents at the S.E.C.
show that 5 commissions have worked on the assignment:

1)Conferenceat the
Prodrasmet[2]on the use of lift   equipment by the Donbas (February 11).

2)Aspecial commission for the examination of lifts in   houses (worked until February 23).

3)Atechnical conference of specialists under the Metals
Technical Department (roughly about March 22–24).

4)Aconference at the Mining and Technical Department
of Central Coal Administration (April 16) on the question
of using lifts in the city of Moscow and other big cities
for mining purposes in the coal industry and, finally,

5)Ameeting of the Central Production Commission on
April 22, minutes 321, § 238.

CommissionNo. 3 had already quite clearly established
that the lift equipment could unquestionably be used in
part for the mining industry. However, nothing-has yet
been done in practice; this business is being dragged out
endlessly and to no purpose.

Ipropose that the question should be raised in the
Council of Labour and Defence on May 25, with a draft
resolution of roughly this content:

“Toauthorise the S.E.C. Presidium, by co-ordination
with the People’s Commissariat for Internal Affairs, to
make use of parts of lifts in Moscow, Petrograd and other
big cities, which ,are suitable for the mining industry,
such as: winches, drums and cables.

“Parallelto this, the necessary tests should be made
for using the lift equipment in conformity with the minutes
of the March 24, 1921 conference at the Technical Section
of the Metals Department, designating these tests, in view
of their importance, as having top priority.”

Iadd[3](a) Appoint a responsible person.

(b)Punish for red tape (from March to May).
Report to N. P.
Gorbunov.[4]

V.Ulyanov(Lenin)Chairman, Council of People’s Commissars

[1]Thewords “through Gorbunov” are written in N. P. Gorbunov’s
hand.—Ed.

[2]ChiefCommittee for the Allocation of Metals Under the
Metals Department of the S.E.C.—Ed.

[3]Fromthe words “I add” to “Report to N. P. Gorbunov” the
text is in Lenin’s hand.—Ed.

[4]OnMay 25, 1921, the C.L.D. adopted Lenin’s draft resolution,         

with small amendments, and instructed the People’s Commissariat       

for Justice “to carry out an inquiry and punish those guilty of      

the red tape, owing to which the assignment to the Presidium of       

the S.E.C., issued by the Chairman of the Council of People’s         

Commissars on February 2, 1921, through the C.P.C. business           

manager under No. 785/yII, remains virtually unfulfilled to this      

day” (Central Party Archives of the Institute of Marxism-Leninism    

of the C.P.S.U. Central Committee).